Saturday, November 7, 2026
Loving wife, mother and grandmother; friend to many, and dedicated community leader and servant, Janice Putnam, 87, of Olympia, Washington, passed away on Oct. 9, 2026.
Jan was born on Dec. 13, 1938, in Ottumwa, Iowa. She shared a beautiful life with her beloved husband, Dale Putnam, to whom she was married for 65 years.
Jan is survived by her husband, Dale, and their sons, Pat Putnam and Perry Putnam (Sue), and daughter, Pam Putnam Folsom. She is also survived by her sisters, Judy Martin and Janie Kingston; three grandchildren, Nicole Folsom, Tyler Folsom, and Riley Putnam; and two great-grandchildren, Marley and Liam.
A longtime Olympia-area community leader, Jan's compassion and dedication helped thousands of families. For more than 27 years, she devoted her time, energy and leadership to helping families struggling with hunger. As director of the Thurston County Food Bank, she helped transform a small volunteer operation into one of the community's most important charitable organizations.
In 1975, the Putnam family moved to Olympia when the Olympia Brewery purchased the Hamm's Brewing Company, where Dale had worked. Jan had been active in parent-teacher organizations, church activities, and volunteer programs in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, suburb where they lived. After arriving in Olympia, she continued her commitment to helping others.
In 1977, Jan became director of the Thurston County Food Bank. At that time, the organization had just one employee — Jan herself — and approximately 10 volunteers providing food to 30 families each month. Under her leadership, the food bank grew tremendously. By the time she retired 27 years later, nearly 400 volunteers were helping provide food to approximately 1,800 families every month.
One of Jan's true superpowers was connecting people in need with people who could help. Her compassion and empathy made it easy for her to recognize a need. Her years of volunteering, extensive community connections, and the respect she earned, helped her build bridges between people and resources.
She did this professionally and personally, for causes that affected thousands, and for everyday problems affecting someone she knew.
Jan's involvement extended well beyond the food bank. She participated in Rotary, Providence St. Peter Hospital activities, the Chamber of Commerce, school programs, and statewide efforts to address hunger. She served as vice chair of Governor Booth Gardner's Task Force on Hunger during the 1980s.
Her dedication, talents and service were regularly recognized. Her outstanding contributions earned her the Providence Mother Joseph Award, a five-state award recognizing exceptional community service.
In 2004, Jan was also honored as one of the region's Living Legends. She also received awards from Leadership Thurston County, Rotary, Sertoma, the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce, YWCA, Girl Scouts and others.
Until her death, she was also an active volunteer with Saint Michael's Parish, where she and Dale were eucharistic ministers. She also volunteered through other church ministries, including hosting Lenten study groups, providing food to the homeless, and calling folks who were isolated to let them know someone cared.
Family was everything to Jan. She rarely missed a concert, sporting event, play, recognition, or any other opportunity to show up for someone she loved. She planned countless get-togethers for friends and family for special reasons, and for no reason at all other than to share each other’s company. Her open door also welcomed many kids, who knew her house as a fun and safe place to gather.
Holidays were particularly special to Jan and a reason to gather everyone, usually at her house.
Jan's health changed dramatically more than 15 years ago when a spinal condition left her paralyzed from the waist down. Remarkably, her involvement in the community, her commitment to family and her enthusiasm for the next fun thing, including travel, barely wavered. She was an inspiration in how she continued to live her life.
Jan’s legacy lives on through the Thurston County Food Bank, the many people she inspired, and the countless lives she touched through a lifetime of service.
She demonstrated making a difference doesn't require extraordinary resources. It often starts with one caring person who sees a need, knows someone who can help and brings them together.
We celebrate and honor Jan for the life she lived, the family she nurtured, the people she helped and the example she leaves us with.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests making a memorial donation to one of the following organizations in her honor:
• Community Youth Services
• Providence St. Peter Hospice Program (Olympia): Donations can be mailed to Providence SW Foundation, 413 Lilly Road NE, Olympia, WA 98506 or made online at Providence Southwest Washington Foundation – Make a Gift Today – Southwest Washington, by adding "Hospice" in the comments section.
